'Homewood House' to be honored by Md. Historical Trust

The book Homewood House will receive the 2005 Heritage Book Award today from the Maryland Historical Trust. Authors Catherine Arthur and Cindy Kelly will receive the honor at a ceremony at the Star-Spangled Banner Museum and Flag House in downtown Baltimore. The event takes place in conjunction the state's annual Preservation and Revitalization Conference.

Published in 2004 by the Johns Hopkins University Press, Homewood House chronicles the construction and later restoration of the Federal-style house that was bequeathed to Johns Hopkins and now serves as a historic house museum.

 

Alfred Sommer, dean of SPH, is awarded Helen Keller Prize

Alfred Sommer, dean of the Bloomberg School of Public Health, is this year's recipient of the prestigious Helen Keller Prize for Vision Research. Awarded annually by the Helen Keller Foundation for Research and Education, the prize recognizes scientists whose research has made a significant contribution to blindness prevention.

Sommer was the first to determine that vitamin A deficiency, a common cause of blindness in the developing world, also contributed to childhood mortality. His groundbreaking discoveries led to the widespread use of inexpensive vitamin A supplements that reduced childhood mortality by 34 percent in the developing world and saved the lives of millions of children worldwide.

UNICEF and WHO estimate that more than 1 million children would die of infection or become blind each year without vitamin A intervention programs that now operate in more than 60 countries.

Sommer was presented with the prize May 2 at the annual conference of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

 

'Palladian Baltimore' lecture series has been canceled

Palladian Baltimore: Builders & Bibliophiles, a lecture series co-sponsored by Homewood House Museum and the Palladian Society of America, will not be held due to the cancellation of the Palladian Society's annual meeting. The talks were to be held May 20 to 22 at the Baltimore Museum of Art. Anyone with questions may call 410-516-5589.

 

Correction

Peter Olson, who was recently elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, is no longer chair of Earth and Planetary Sciences, as was stated in an article appearing May 2. Olson, a professor, was succeeded in that position by Lawrence Hardie.

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